Post by JennaAndIguanaGwen on Jul 22, 2015 0:30:58 GMT -8
Hello and Welcome!
The answer to your first question: Their "thumb" claw is just like our thumb and not like a dog's dew claw so it is best to leave it in tact. In fact i have never even heard of the idea of removing their thumb claw, I've heard lots of interesting things before but that is a new one. I would imagine it also to be more difficult to climb if he were missing that claw. I have long padded gloves I wear when handling my own iguana, Gwendolyn, but that's more because her claws and scales can be just sharp in general.
I generally don't recommend surgery for reptiles unless its absolutely necessary simply due to the fact that reptiles don't handle anesthetics as well as most other animals do. Iguanas do go through seasons where they tend to be more moody and can have instances of aggression but it rarely lasts continually. Also - what kind of reptile meet and greet was it? Iguanas do tend to be solitary in the wild and some iguanas just don't like being around other iguanas. New places and new experiences in general can stress iguanas out so this kind of behavior might just be a reaction to the situation. I wouldn't take his statement as fact; it's more like his concern.
As for Frankie's moodiness/thrashing/aggression; there can be a lot of things that play a factor into an iguana's temperament and behavior. Younger iguanas prefer to have places to hide and be out of sight. He should be about out of that phase but that could have a factor. If you have other pets in the house - those could be a stress point for him. Cats staring, birds quacking, dogs running around or just a lot of movement in general can cause an iguana to be stressed and act out. I keep Gwen in an enclosure in my room because I know she would be stressed out with all of the animals and loud TV playing in the main room (certain bright colors can also trigger aggression like the color red). When handling iguanas, some people throw a towel on their iguanas head or quickly pick their iguana up but with Gwen I always approach slowly and raise my hand so she sees me coming and she will close her eyes and become docile. If I just went in there and picked her up she would thrash and squirm about. A good bit of advice that I also found to be true is that if you hold an iguana away from yourself in fear of being scratched up it makes them feel less secure. I always hold Gwen close so she knows she is not going to fall and so she knows she doesn't have to keep a tight grip. When I take her out of the bath tub I always wrap her up with a towel so she can squirm around - that was one thing I had to learn on my own. Overall I recommend padded protection and slow patience Do you have any more details on his behaviors that are causing issues? Body language and movements can also be helpful
Thank you for taking the time to post!
-Jenna
The answer to your first question: Their "thumb" claw is just like our thumb and not like a dog's dew claw so it is best to leave it in tact. In fact i have never even heard of the idea of removing their thumb claw, I've heard lots of interesting things before but that is a new one. I would imagine it also to be more difficult to climb if he were missing that claw. I have long padded gloves I wear when handling my own iguana, Gwendolyn, but that's more because her claws and scales can be just sharp in general.
I generally don't recommend surgery for reptiles unless its absolutely necessary simply due to the fact that reptiles don't handle anesthetics as well as most other animals do. Iguanas do go through seasons where they tend to be more moody and can have instances of aggression but it rarely lasts continually. Also - what kind of reptile meet and greet was it? Iguanas do tend to be solitary in the wild and some iguanas just don't like being around other iguanas. New places and new experiences in general can stress iguanas out so this kind of behavior might just be a reaction to the situation. I wouldn't take his statement as fact; it's more like his concern.
As for Frankie's moodiness/thrashing/aggression; there can be a lot of things that play a factor into an iguana's temperament and behavior. Younger iguanas prefer to have places to hide and be out of sight. He should be about out of that phase but that could have a factor. If you have other pets in the house - those could be a stress point for him. Cats staring, birds quacking, dogs running around or just a lot of movement in general can cause an iguana to be stressed and act out. I keep Gwen in an enclosure in my room because I know she would be stressed out with all of the animals and loud TV playing in the main room (certain bright colors can also trigger aggression like the color red). When handling iguanas, some people throw a towel on their iguanas head or quickly pick their iguana up but with Gwen I always approach slowly and raise my hand so she sees me coming and she will close her eyes and become docile. If I just went in there and picked her up she would thrash and squirm about. A good bit of advice that I also found to be true is that if you hold an iguana away from yourself in fear of being scratched up it makes them feel less secure. I always hold Gwen close so she knows she is not going to fall and so she knows she doesn't have to keep a tight grip. When I take her out of the bath tub I always wrap her up with a towel so she can squirm around - that was one thing I had to learn on my own. Overall I recommend padded protection and slow patience Do you have any more details on his behaviors that are causing issues? Body language and movements can also be helpful
Thank you for taking the time to post!
-Jenna